Changing Careers
by Yankee01754
Summary: Cody spends a day, on the range, with Cayce, working the cattle.  She teases him about how he's getting good at cowboy stuff.


Changing Careers

By Janet Brayden

The sky was a brilliant blue and golden sunshine warmed the spring air. Cayce McKenna sat, relaxed, in the saddle of her cow pony – a black and white Pinto named Cochise

Beside her, astride a bay Quarter Horse, was Cody Allen, senior partner in the Riptide Detective Agency and the oldest of Cayce's three adopted brothers.

The detectives were visiting Cayce's Lazy M ranch, which was nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was their habit to head north on a visit when things were quiet if they wanted to get away. They still took the Riptide – Cody's boat and their home and office – on fishing trips, but they spent a lot of time at the ranch as well.

All three men easily found things to keep them occupied when Cayce was too busy working to take time off just to visit.

Murray would settle himself at Cayce's computer and do her bookkeeping and ensure that her equipment was up to date. He even took one of the vehicles into Sunny Acres to pick up computer supplies and run other errands.

Nick would check out Cayce's fleet of trucks, the van and her jeep, making sure that they were in good running order. He'd also check over Cayce's helicopter, the Red Baroness, and make sure it was in tip top condition. He knew she used the Baroness to fly hay to her wildlife refuge in Nevada and to any ranch, in any state, that had cattle stranded by snow storms.

Cody had taken to ranch work like a duck takes to water and he was often found, on horseback, lending a hand with round up and branding and whatever else needed doing.

The rewards were generous. Free room and board. Good company. Outstanding meals ("fit for a king" Murray declared) and an occasional card game with some of the Lazy M hands. Best of all, in Cayce's opinion – for she worried about them constantly – nobody was beating them up or shooting at them.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of a calf crying and its mother bellowing. She, and Cody, nudged their horses into movement and tracked the mother and child down. The calf was in the middle of the stream that ran through the pasture they were riding through and the cow was standing at the edge of the stream calling her baby.

Cayce dismounted, keeping Cochise between her and the distressed mother. Cody and his horse stayed close by in case she should need help.

Wading into the stream Cayce kept a wary eye on the cow while at the same time attempting to ascertain why the calf didn't just join his mother on the grass. It didn't take long.

"A-ha!" she cried triumphantly. "The little guy's got his right front foot caught between a couple of rocks."

"Do you need any help?" the blond inquired.

"Nope. I've got …it," she said as she struggled to release the calf's foot. "Eeek!"

"Cayce?" Cody started to dismount.

"I'm fine," she gasped. "It's just that the water is a tad chilly," she grinned.

The calf, in its struggle to free himself and join his mother, had knocked Cayce into the water. She sat there gasping as the stream was still icy cold from snow melt.

The bovine pair made its way toward the herd that was grazing about half a mile away. Cayce got to her feet and slogged her way toward the bank where Cody stood waiting to help her climb out.

Cayce's hand was cold and wet. Allen had difficulty hanging onto it and the stream bank, where he stood, was muddy. In his anxiety to make sure that Cayce was truly unhurt he'd not paid attention. As he extended his hand, and started to pull her up, his left foot slipped and he fell forward, knocking Cayce into the water again and falling in himself.

After a minute, Cayce started laughing. She was wet from head to toe now and Cody was also drenched. The shocked look on his face set her off again and her "brother" just sat there stunned for a moment. Then he, too, started laughing. The pair got to their feet and climbed out at a place where the bank wasn't so muddy and walked back to their horses.

Cayce tried to squeeze some of the water out of her braids but it was hopeless. She did, however, sit down long enough to remove her boots and dump the water out of them.

The "siblings" looked at each other.

"You look like a drowned rat," Cody told her.

"You don't look much better," Cayce giggled.

They remounted their horses and went on their way. The air was warm enough that Cayce wasn't concerned about catching cold and it was one of the hazards of being a rancher. Calves would get themselves into precarious situations requiring human help but not appreciating the help once they got it.

Cayce's jeans stuck to her legs like a second skin and Cody's did as well. Their denim shirts were wet and muddy. Their hair was wet and both knew Cody's short hair would be dry long before Cayce's braids.

"You sure you don't want to go back to the house and get a shower?" he asked.

"No sense in it," she told him. "I'd just have to come back out again – if Josefina would let me out of the house."

Josefina was Cayce's housekeeper and surrogate mother. She looked out for her, the hands and, when they visited, the detectives.

"It's par for the course when dealing with the little ones," Cayce said. "Come on, let's move on up toward the high pasture and see what we have for strays that need to be moved down here."

They rode in companionable silence for about an hour. In the high pasture, which was located about ten miles from the house, they found some steers that needed to be hazed back to the main herd. Swinging their coiled lassos they chased them down the mountain.

"There's one hiding in the brush over there," Cody pointed to their right.

"Go get him," Cayce said. "I'll keep this bunch moving."

Cody turned his mount in that direction. The steer wasn't having any part of being cooperative so Cody shook out a loop and swung the rope over his head. His aim was true and the loop settled around the steer's neck. The detective, turned temporary cowboy, dallied the rope around his saddle horn and turned to catch up with Cayce.

"I see you got him," she commented as Cody caught up with her and the small bunch they were moving.

"Yeah – on the first try, too," he said proudly.

"You're getting pretty good at this," Cayce said. "Any time you want to give up being a detective you can hire on as one of my cowboys."

Cody gave her a look and then started laughing.

"The day I give up being a detective, to be a cowboy, is the day you give up being a 'cowboy' to be a lady."

"Hey! I resent that remark!" she cried indignantly.

Her look of indignation didn't last long. She took one look at Cody's face, saw the twinkle in his eyes, and started laughing.

"Ok, wise guy, let's get this bunch down with the others and go home.

An hour later, the bunch they'd rounded up was in with the main herd and the two of them headed toward the house where a hot shower, a good meal, and a lot of teasing from Nick awaited them.


End file.
